Nucleon number and Isotopes

Starter: How many questions can you answer in 5 minutes

By the end of this lesson I will be able to:

1. Explain what the nucleon number is

2. Explain why atoms are neutral
3. Explain what an isotope is
Protons and neutrons are found within the nucleus of an
atom

Atoms of different elements have different numbers of

protons
Lithium atom Carbon atom
 Nucleon/mass number: shows the number
of protons and neutrons that the element
has in one atom

Atomic number: shows the number of

protons/electrons that the element has in
one atom
Phosphorus contains:

• 15 protons
• 15 electrons
• 16 neutrons (31-15)
Atoms are neutral because they have
equal numbers of protons and electrons.
This means the charges cancel each
other out
Isotopes are different atoms of the same
element with the same number of
protons but different numbers of
neutrons
Mini
plenary

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They have the same number of electrons and therefore the

S+C: Why do isotopes
same electronic have the same chemical
configuration properties?
 Calculating relative atomic mass
The relative atomic mass, Ar, of an element is calculated
from:

1. The mass numbers of its isotopes

2. The abundance of these isotopes
Worked
example
Chlorine naturally exists as two isotopes,
(chlorine-35) and (chlorine-37).
The abundance of chlorine-35 is 75% and the abundance of
chlorine-37 is 25%.
In other words, in every 100 chlorine atoms, 75 atoms
have a mass number of 35, and 25 atoms have a mass
number of 37.
To calculate the relative atomic mass, Ar, of
chlorine: 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑠
𝐴𝑟 =
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑠

( 35 × 75 ) +( 37 × 25)
𝐴𝑟 =
75+ 25
𝐴 𝑟 =35.5
Plenary
Why does chlorine have a
relative atomic mass of
35.5?
What is an isotope?
What is a nucleon?
ALT